The invention relates to the harvesting of row crops such as corn by means of tractor operated equipment. More particularly, the invention is concerned with the type of tractor operated harvesting equipment which severs the crop rows from the ground, chops them into forage and collects the forage in an accompanying wagon.
In such row crop harvesting equipment as heretofore developed a mobile chopper unit has been provided with a suitable attachment for severing one crop row, or for simultaneously severing a number of relatively adjacent crop rows, from the ground and for moving the severed crop material along a rearwardly and upwardly inclined feed passage or along several such passages into the inlet of the chopper unit. To sever the crop row or rows from the ground a reciprocable or swingable cutting blade has usually been arranged at the inlet end of the feed passage or passages, and separate drive mechanisms have been used to operate a crop feeding belt conveyor or conveyors and a cutting blade or blades. Consequently, such crop severing and feeding attachments as heretofore developed have been relatively involved, power consuming and expensive.